Jean-Louis Etienne, patron of the 22nd International Weather and Climate Forum 2025

To mark the Year of the Sea, Jean-Louis Etienne, doctor, explorer and writer will be the 2025 patron of the Forum. He is a tireless defender of the planet and ambassador for the Poles and the Ocean at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

A man, for whom the sea is his “field of investigation, experimentation and freedom”, is a leading French-speaking voice for the preservation of the planet, and is committed to raising awareness and encouraging action.

Jean-Louis Etienne, parrain du 22e Forum International de la Météo et du Climat 2025

Jean-Louis Etienne has led incredible expeditions to the four corners of the globe. Now he’s embarking on a new kind of ocean expedition, ready to brave the Furious 50’s: Polar Pod.

It is therefore a great honor to welcome this emblematic figure in the fight against climate change and for the preservation of the planet as patron of the 2025 edition of the Forum.

Biography

After an internship in surgery, a specialty in Nutrition and Sports Biology, Jean-Louis Etienne became a doctor expedition : Himalayas, Patagonia, Greenland, journey around the world on Eric Tabarly’s Pen Duick VI… In 1986, he was the first man to reach the North Pole alone after 63 days of walking. In 1989-90, he was co-leader of the international Trans Antarctica expedition, the longest crossing of Antarctica by dog sled (7 months, 6,300 km). For 10 years he devoted himself to exploring the polar regions aboard the boat Antarctica (renamed Tara). In 2002 it was the Banquise Mission, a three-month drift across the Arctic Ocean. In 2010 he made the first crossing of the North Pole in a balloon. His love for great adventures will take him to the Southern Ocean in 2025 for a unique exploration aboard the Polar Pod oceanographic platform. A tireless defender of the planet, his scientific and educational expeditions aim to raise awareness of the polar regions and explain the role they play in the balance of the earth’s climate. He is also the author of numerous works.

Patrons of previous of FIM

Personalities deeply involved in raising awareness of the state of the planet and the environment.

Chloé Nabédian

Weather and environment journalist, presenter of “A la Vie à la Terre” (TV5 Monde) and author of the books “Les grands mystères de la nature” & “La météo devient-elle folle? (Éditions du Rocher), and FIM 2023 patron.

Jamy Gourmaud

Journalist and presenter of the programmes “Le Monde De Jamy” (France 3) & “C Jamy” (France 5) on the theme of knowledge and discovery, and FIM 2023 patron.